Thursday, October 27, 2011

"I came to win, to fight, to conquer to thrive...I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise...to fly"

Since the very first time I heard this song it's been stuck in my head, and the more I hear it the more I love it. For me a song is so much more than a beat or background music or even the singer's voice. It's about the lyrics...the words that touch your heart and make you reach for something more.

This song makes me feel inspired, like I can do anything I set my mind to...INCLUDING overcoming all the odds the navy and this neverending deployment throw my way.

I want to succeed, I want to survive and sometimes I feel like I am drowning and just trying to stay above water, when I know I was meant to fly.

There are things I do subconsciously that affect my life (and the people in it) without me realizing it. I want to move forward in the right direction and make a change for the better.

So with homecoming only a few months away, I am already thinking of what I want to wear the day my sailor is back in my arms. It's going to be winter and most likely freezing, but of course I still wanna look smokin' hot for my man! ;)

I already have an outfit in my head that I want to wear but I can't seem to find it anywhere I look! I've been scouring online sites to see if I can find anything, but so far there is nothing that really catches my eye.

I also have a hard time online shopping because of my size. I am tee tiny and most the time wear a zero in pants and an xs or small in shirts. It's extremely annoying! I wish I had a more womanly body...

Anyway, the vision I'm seeing in my head is a sweater dress with some leggings and a gorgeous pair of boots! I think that would do the trick...I'm gonna have to wear a jacket but I at least want to look good underneath. I need ideas! So far I've found ZIP, ZILCH, NADA that I like.

HELP!!! I would greatly appreciate any good links or photos of something that fits this description...I still have time but it will be here before we know it.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

So remember a few days ago when I mentioned my hubby was up for Blue Jacket of the Year for his ship?? Well, HE WON!!!!

I am so incredibly proud of my husband for all his hard work and dedication this past year and for the simple fact that he has made a positive outcome from this deployment. Congrats Baby!

To celebrate I thought I'd dedicate my song this week to my hubby. Today is Thursday and that means it's time to link up with Goodnight Moon and share the song that moves you this week. :) This is mine, cause I can't get it out of my head...Enjoy! ♥

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Today I'm feeling really good and have already done so much and it's barely 1:00 pm! I had physical therapy again this morning and got a hot wax treatment on my hand. It felt AMAZING! With the help of my exercises and therapy I have gained 20 degrees more flexibilty when letting my hand hang down and 10 degrees more flexibility when holding it with my palm facing up.

My pain threshold still varies from day to day but always feels better when I give it some rest on my days off from work. I have a doctors appt this weekend with my primary to check in and see how things are going so far. I am feeling good and hopeful that my hand will be able to completely heal with therapy and exercise rather than needing surgery. Say a prayer for me that it all works out! :-)

I am happy that I was able to meet two of the three goals my physical therapist set for me within the first two weeks and hopefully it will only get better from here! As for everything else I have been having a hard time with this deployment lately. I thought it would get easier once October got here, but with the holidays fast approaching it is becoming clear to me that the last few months are going to be the hardest.

My hubby took his Blue Jacket of the Year test today and we are keeping our fingers crossed today that he wins so he can get capped at the end of this year! That would really help us out financially and would reward him for all of his hard work. However it pans out, I can say that I am extremely proud of my husband for all he has sacrificed these last two years and especially this year. The navy is no joke and they are getting their money's worth out of my husband..that's for sure!

I love you baby and I'm so proud of you!

On another note, since we are close to being in the double digits soon, homecoming has been on my mind a lot lately. I need to start planning and getting ready for it, because although it's still a few months away I know it will be here faster than I think.

This time around we want to go on a "stay-cation" and just stay in Virginia. We definitely want to get a nice hotel somewhere for a few days and just relax, have some date nights and pamper ourselves...Lord knows after an 11 month deployment we are both going to need it!

Friday, October 14, 2011

I don't know what it is lately but I have been feeling completely overwhelmed. Between work and starting physical therapy for my hand I have been one busy bee. I'm going two to three times a week and I am really hoping I'll start to see some progress soon and get some flexibility and strength back in my hand.

On another note, My husband has been deployed for nearly seven months now and I can tell you that this deployment seems NEVER ENDING!!! It has been 204 days since we kissed goodbye and said, "Be seeing you." At first I could barely function and can openly admit I was more depressed than any other time in my life.

I would have good days where I felt ok and bad days where I felt like I didn't even want to be living anymore. Days where it all seemed pointless and my husband and I were both so lonely, hurt and missing each other that we would fight over stupid little things.

Now we are both doing better but most days I feel like I am just skating by. Going through the motions until he comes home and wishing I could wake up from this bad dream and have my husband back in my arms.

I have been missing him so much lately and as much as I love to pretend I'm strong and everything is ok for his sake on the inside I am hurting. I never knew what it meant to love someone this much until I met my husband and have gone through 20 of the 26 months we've been married all alone.

I keep telling myself the rest of this deployment is gonna fly by, but right now it can't go by fast enough. I want to have my best friend and the love of my life by my side to help me with the occurences of everyday life and to be there to lean on when times are hard.

I know this is all a learning and growing experience and I am trying to be faithful in the Lord and believe that there is some method to this madness...that there is some reason that we are going through all this now.

I know the bible says we will all face trials and tribulations but to be of good cheer because Jesus overcame the world, and I am trying very hard to trust in him and rely on his love and mercy to get me through the next few months. Please say a prayer for us, and ask the Lord to give us both strength. You can never underestimate the power of prayer! :)

As for everything else going on in my life, I am trying to find a balance and make time for myself. I have been spreading myself too thin the last few months and have gotten sick twice over a month and a half. I need more sleep, more relaxation and more "me time." I am always going, going, going and I feel like I'm gonna keel over and have a heart attack somedays!

So I apologize in advance if I haven't gotten the chance to comment on your blogs or keep in touch via facebook or twitter. Since my hand is still healing I have been trying not to use it too much and blogging tends to aggravate it. But I hope everyone has a great Friday!!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

First off I am warning my readers now that this post is going to be a little angry. I am BEYOND pissed right now! Remember when I said my hubby got me this gorgeous ring for our anniversary this year?

Well one of the little diamonds fell out on one side of my wedding band so I brought it into the store to be fixed and paid $35 to have it back within a few days, because as I'm sure you could imagine I did NOT want to be without my ring.

After a few days the sales associate called me and told me my ring was ready to be picked up and I was more than happy to go get it. I had the ring back for literally TWO days before the same exact diamond fell out again. So I called and was assured I wouldn't be charged a fee and was told I could bring my ring back in and they would fix it for free.

But upon examining my ring a little closer I'd noticed that the band was now bent on one side and the three bands were no longer flush. The center band was sticking up on one side of the ring, and on the other side there was a noticeable gap between the engagement ring and the bottom band.

So I let the associate know the jeweler had bent my ring while replacing the diamond the last time I brought it in to be fixed. They assured me my ring would be fixed and I would have it back on my finger within a few days.

So Saturday rolls around and I head to Zales to see if my ring is ACTUALLY fixed this time. They replaced the diamond but had done nothing to fix the bent wedding band. I was beyond angry at this point and it literally took every ounce of strength in my tiny body to keep myself from going CRAY CRAY on these PEOPLE!

At first they tried to argue with me and say they didn't see what I was talking about. The lady held up a magnifying glass and was looking at it. I said, "It doesn't take a magnifying glass to see that ring is bent. There is a big gap right there and it doesn't even slide into place easily like it did before." After they realized I wasn't playing around they tell me to leave it for the Jeweler to fix now for the THIRD TIME.

So I leave ONCE AGAIN without my ring and pissed off. Then they call me today to come pick it up and it is still not fixed, in fact nothing has been done at all. I wouldn't be surprised if no one even bothered to look at it at all and I immediately expressed how dissatisfied I was that this issue still hadn't been fixed.

I don't understand how Zales can really expect you to pay thousands of dollars for a ring that the diamonds fall out of and then THEY damage it even more and refuse to fix it. At this point I have to order an entirely new ring made in my size and that will take six to eight weeks for it to get here.

I have to say I am so soooo disappointed with the customer service I've received and the fact that the employees were trying to make it seem like nothing was wrong with my ring. It wasn't bent that way before I brought it in to be fixed and the fact that I have now gone almost three weeks without my ring is ridiculous.

Needless to say I won't be buying anything from there anytime soon and I would discourage anyone I know to buy a ring from there. A wedding ring is an investment, and every woman deserves to have a beautiful one. You shouldn't have to settle for one that is damaged simply because people are too lazy to actually do their jobs.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

It's Thursday lovelies and that means it's time to link up your favorite song this week with Goodnight Moon.

I was listening to pandora recently and came across this song. My love affair with Ella started way back probably when I was about thirteen, and I will NEVER get tired of her voice. Something about it just brings a smile to my face.

One of my dreams while living on the east coast is to visit New York, so this song inspired me this week. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! ♥

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Today I started my first day of physical therapy and I absolutely loved it! I have to go two to three times per week but I am hoping with time and the exercises I'm doing my hand will hopefully get back to full strength.

In other news, I'm excited for fall to be arriving in Virginia, especially since the weather has finally started to change. It rained almost the entire month of September and was so humid it was unbearable! I'm so thankful for some cooler weather!

This past weekend I was lucky enough to go see "What's your number?" with Anna Faris and Chris Evans and I absolutely adored it! You all know how much I love Mr. Evans and he was looking extra handsome in this film. ;)

If you haven't yet, you NEED to go see it! It's a perfect date movie or great for a girl's night out.
Anyway I'm off to run a few errands and enjoy the rest of my day off. I hope you all have a lovely Tuesday! ♥

Monday, October 3, 2011

Have I ever mentioned that I have terrible luck when it comes to winning giveaways? I know "winning isn't everything, " but no one can say they don't love winning something every now and then. :)

Recently I entered Chambanachik's giveaway for a copy of "Faith Deployed...Again" and I'm so excited to have been one of the two lucky winners!

Erica is a doll and I am so thankful for the chance to read this book and use it to help me get through the second half of this deployment.

So far time has been moving right along and I although I have been feeling better over all I still have my rough days. Right now I'm trying to stay focused on the positive and see the good things that have come from this deployment.

Sometimes that's easier said than done, but it's still worth trying. Here is what I have come up with so far:

1) It has given us the chance to pay off nearly all our credit card debts and to finally get new tires on my car and my brakes fixed! Hallelujah!

2) It has made me dig deep inside myself and keep going, even when I didn't feel like living anymore.

3)We have fought A LOT but we are finally at the point where we are both used to being alone and the whole "deployment" concept is easier to comprehend.

4) This deployment has brought out trust issues and secrets that would have otherwise stayed hidden for who knows how long. It could have broken us if we let it, but we have chosen to forgive and move forward.

5) I have finally known what it feels like to be completely on my own, living alone...without a husband, mom, sisters or room mates to lean on. I think it's something everyone should experience at least once in there life!

6) It has made me put myself out there and make more friends. When you don't have a husband to go on dates with or family to hang out with you tend to become more outgoing and just learn to make friends!

7) It has taught me to count my blessings and to be thankful for the good things about my husband...no matter how much he annoys me or makes me angry at times, I know I'm lucky to have a man who loves me as much as he does.

8) It has made me realize there are a lot of things I need to work on in myself, like being less selfish and more giving to others. I've also learned to let go of trying to control everything, which is easier said than done for this control freak.

Anyway, I'm off to work and it's sure to be another dreadfully boring day at the bank so I'm hoping today goes by fast! Is it 5:30 yet? ;)

About Me

Welcome to my blog! I'm Brittney, a twenty something wife and mama enjoying life on the West Coast. I've got a sweet little boy and precious baby girl.This blog is where I document my daily life as a SAHM and our family's adventures. Welcome to my world!

Our Love Story

My husband and I met six years ago by chance when he happened to stop by my work to visit one of my co-workers. He made me laugh and we hit it off instantly. We fell head over heels in love and the rest is history! We've had our share of ups and downs but there's no one else on earth I want to spend the rest of my life with. In January 2013 we welcomed our first baby boy, Jeremiah Elijah into our lives & our hearts. I love my little family so very much.♥